Read history tour reviews

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Score breakdown

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

This review is for the Civil War Tour, on day 1 in D.C. we were dropped at the Smithsonian American History Museum. Not being familiar with this museum it would have been helpful to have been given guidance to start at the top where there are actual exhibits relevant to the Civil War as well as American Military and the Presidents. Not knowing this many of squandered our time on lower floors viewing unrelated exhibits.

The Hyatt in Richmond offered the best dining experience.

See previous comment, minimal relevance to the tour subject matter.

You can't go wrong seeing the Lincoln Memorial, always inspiring.

While historically significant not a lot to see there.

A great experience, no amount of reading or map study will give you the same understanding of what the soldiers there faced. The guide was superb at explaining the difficulties the terrain there faced the leaders in making decisions on moving their troops effectively.

Again while significant not a lot to see there.

Quite interesting, being in the second group for the last day of the tour felt a bit rushed. Never had much time to visit downtown Gettysburg when anything was actually open for business.

Did not participate.

Absolutely wonderful, sadly did not get much time to see it. It's been many years since my last visit to Gettysburg and the newly renovated Cyclorama display and the new museum and gift shop are superb.

Very moving

Quite good for an abridged tour given the time allowed. Have had the opportunity on active duty to tour the battlefield with a historian from the Army War College and naturally this gave more insight.

Once more historically significant but not a lot to see there.

Very interesting and the Park Service Guide was excellent.

Wonderful, the restoration of the old Executive Mansion is amazing. The adjacent museum is excellent and has so many historically significant artifacts it's well worth seeing. The many other related curiosities are also fascinating.

Sadly we made a detour off the itinerary to accommodate the wishes of two guests to see some obscure battle site on the way where they had ancestors fight. This side trip took far longer than our guide anticipated and we literally had to rush through Appomatox. Would probably have enjoyed it more if I had time to see it. Not pleased the whole group was Shanghaied for the convenience of just two people.

Not so much Civil War related

It's unfortunate that Arlington House is a mess due to a major restoration project but understandable. As far as the cemetery itself it's an incredible place and every time I visit it's always moving. I look forward to taking up permanent residence some day.

See prior comments on Antietam. Joe really made it clear how hard it would be as a troop commander trying to maneuver your forces on that difficult terrain and how it would hamper your decision making because you would so often be blind to enemy movements.

She did alright, not a ton to see at this site.

A good general overview of the key events that took place at this site.

Excellent, great explanation of what occurred and told his story with a sense of drama that was compelling.

He knows the cemetery well and was able to show us things that I'd never seen there before.

Nothing special. The best dinner was at the Hyatt in Richmond. The box lunches from 'Porkbellies" (not sure if that's right name) were pretty tiresome after the first or second one. I spent many years in the military and can eat very fast, for some of our elderly passengers eating quickly on the bus was a challenge.

Overall Debra did OK, I understand this was her fist solo tour and juggling all of the various situations is not an easy task and she succeeded. The airline changed my departure flight to a very early time and she personally made sure I got to the airport on time which I very much appreciated. My only real complaint was the diversion on the way to Appomatox to Highbridge which I previously mentioned. Don't feel it was appropriate to hijack the tour to satisfy 2 people. If they really wanted to go there she possibly could have helped them secure alternate transportation and let them break off on their own instead of inconveniencing the rest of us. I've no doubt she'll get better with more experience. My only comparison is with the guide I had for your 11-day Band of Brothers European tour, she was "5-star" so maybe I was just spoiled.

The driver was terrific, skilled wheelman and good personality and sense of humor. I missed the Mercedes coaches you use in Europe. Having the second door in the rear of the bus really helps speed up passengers getting on/off the coach, especially with a number of elderly passengers often with decreased mobility.

This tour satisfied my interest in putting feet on the ground at many of these iconic battle fields and learning more about them. Like anything there's room for improvement but considering this one of your newest tours no doubt it will get better. Overall Procom offers a good value for your money and that's why I'd recommend taking a trip with you folks. I will be back for another.

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

An overall map to make it easy to follow the route while on the tour. This would help put into perspective where one battlefield is related to another. During the trip, I would review a book by Jeff Shaara that covered 10 Civil War battlefields to help me prepare for the next day's adventure. However his maps were of each battlefield, outlining the strategies and tactics. Given that I did not want to carry a book with me on the bus, I did not have this book with me. It would be nice to have a map, even if it was simply a road map, to see where we were, where we were going. It was also a little confusing on some days when we covered more than one battlefield on the same day, in the same area, but the battles were fought in different years.

BUT… instead of letting us "run loose" on that first day, why were we not directed to the 3rd floor with the exhibit on the Civil War? My wife and I stayed 3 days after the tour, returned to this museum, found that 3rd floor information here to be quite valuable. Would have been nice to have seen this first.

Well due to the heat it was not as pleasant as it could have been.

Would have been nice to have more time to walk around after an orientation by the tour guide to appreciate the history here.

I give this 5 stars BUT: It was very difficult to get the "lay of the land", how the battle here unfolded. Too much on and off the bus with short "looking and seeing". Granted this is a rather large battlefield necessitating bussing to different points. This is why I think the overall tour should be extended by 3 days to allow an extra day in some locations. Needed and wanted more time here. An extra day in Antietam would, I think, eliminate the hop on/off tour of the battlefield. It would also allow more walking of the battlefield with and without the tour guide, allow time to review signage, etc.

A nice balance of walking from point to point with the guide.

Very interesting. Gave a fascinating perspective on the impact of war on the local population.

Why was the tour cut short, the tour guide seemed to admit this. Regardless, other than "ghost stories" not much of a ghostly tour. Is there a ghost tour that includes the cemetery??

Been here before, loved it again.

Been here before, loved it again. Learned a few things that I did not already know.

While I would have loved more time (see comments for Antietam), since I had been here before I focused on what the tour guide was telling us instead of trying to figure things out. On my previous trip I had spent parts of two days touring the battlefield, thus I already had a good sense of the flow of the 3-day battle. The information learned on this trip added to what I already understood. Having said that, extending the overall tour by 3 days (again see Antietam comments) would allow for more time on the battlefield. Why not have time in Devil's Den, for example?

Fascinating. Well done, nice walking tour. Excellent pace.

Would have liked more time here. Felt a little rushed.

Since I had been here before, granted 30+ years ago, I opted to not do the movie but instead walk the grounds on more own. Really helped me get a sense of how things unfolded here.

Other than Arlington National Cemetery, Ford's Theatre, the Petersen House, each of which has Civil War history, what else did was see that was Civil War related? The next two survey items refer to these. Now we did see some interesting sites, learned some things I did not know, but what was covered, what am I forgetting, that was Civil War related???

Now I never had given any thought about why the headstones here are so varied as compared to American military cemeteries oversees. I now have some sense of that, wish to study more on this subject. And will probably buy Jim Carr's book that he made sure we knew he had written and is soon to be published. A lovely and solemn time on America's hallowed ground covering all aspects of the history of this site.

Very knowledgeable but at times a bit conceited

Very knowledgeable, personable

Excellent! Very knowledgeable, personable

He was a little better here, perhaps than the first day. Perhaps because it was cooler?

While I understand the convenience of box lunches they are difficult to eat in a bus when there is no tray. Would have been nice to have choices of meat. If box lunches are planned, why not poll the group the day before then send in the order for X number of ham, Y number of turkey? The best box lunch was when we were able to eat the lunch while stopped at a combined rest stop & picnic area. The worst was the day (I believe this was the last box lunch?) we had to eat the lunches in a very short time on the bus.
The "served" restaurants were great.
The time for lunch and the underground rr tour at the Dobbins House should have been coordinated better. I am sure I was not the only one that realized the tour was about to start when I was just finishing my lunch.
The BBQ place and the "biker bar", both of which were substitutes for the normal stops, were bad and should not be used again.

So much enthusiasm! The only fault was the few times she seemed to have conversations with those in the front and did not include those of us in the rear.

No tray. No netting or pocket to place materials you needed to access regularly.

I love the fact that even with expansion they still have a small company feel. I always am treated as a friend when I call the office, not just a customer. I am never pressured with "What tour can I book for you today?"

This as our second BBOB tour, we have already booked a third. We love this company, look forward to a fourth, a fifth, and more tours!

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

A map of how we got from one location to another would have been very helpful. The bus driver knew where he was going, but the passengers find it useful to follow the roads. It would allow the passengers to be able to plan future trips to the locations of interest and also, when tour guides talk about where brigades, etc. were on the ground during the battles, they often used current roads to guide you. Without passengers having a map during our travels, we were unfamiliar with the roads in the areas. I would also have appreciated knowing how much bus riding and looking out of windows we were going to do vs actually getting out and walking around. I DO NOT like trying to see things from a bus window and sitting on a bus or standing listening to a guide for hours. I would much rather walk the grounds, read the signs, as well as listen to the tour guide. Some days there was too much bus riding and standing after we got off the bus.

We did not get enough introduction to this museum. We were new arrivals and I think did not know what to expect. More introduction to this afternoon and a handout about the museum before we got there with tour guide suggestions as to what to see/do when we got there would have really helped. After the BOB tour was over, my husband and I went back to this museum on our own and were awed by how much it had to offer. I was not prepared to work my way through this museum when we had just arrived and there was really no introduction to it.

This went fairly well and was informative. I never warmed up to the the tour guide although he did know his information.

This was an awesome place, but we were not given enough time here to explore. We needed to walk around more with the tour guide vs stand and listen to him.

This was probably the worst day because all we did was get on and off the bus and stand and listen to the tour guide. No time to explore the area or read the signs. Pointing things out from a moving bus is useless unless you are sitting in the front seat and can see out both sides and also see the tour guide point to things.

This stop was a bit better than Antietam mostly because I started walking away from the tour guide to see the signs and explore the battlefield areas. There was less standing and listening here than at Antietam, but still not the best situation. I would have liked to have toured the 2nd Bull Run, too.

This was a terrific stop. The tour was great. I learned a great deal about Gettysburg as a town in the 1860s as well as learned more about the battle as the story of this house and its inhabitants granted me a different perspective on those 3 days.

This was a great optional tour. I learned a lot about Gettysburg as a town affected by the war through the stories that were told by the guide. The ghost stories were okay, but the historical information about the buildings and the college, etc. were wonderful.

Super and so glad we had time to return later.

This was also a great part of the trip although, again, there was a lot of standing and listening and then not enough time to explore the area.

I had been at this battlefield within the past 4 years so was familiar with it already, otherwise I might have felt we needed more time here. The on and off the bus thing was not too bad and there was a bit more time to explore, but could have used more.

Too much here to piece together. Tour guide a bit "over the top" on his feelings that the area was being consumed by strip malls. I get it, but maybe he should "rein it in" a bit. Stopping in the woods was good and if we got to wander a bit we learned more. Ellwood Farm was a great stop. Again, as so many other times, it would be better to have time to wander around and read the signs as well as hear the tour guide's comments.

I liked this stop as we were able to get out and walk the area some. Usually you could walk away from the tour guide, but still hear him and thus, able to learn more. The recreated trenches and the crater stop were the best.

This was good. I enjoyed the tour through the Confederate president's house. Museum was interesting also.

Our time here got condensed because we made a stop at Highbridge which was not included on the itinerary. I LOVED the stop at Highbridge, but because we were not given time guidelines, people took too long. I think the entire group should have voted on the extra stop and the entire day rearranged appropriately so that Appomattox was not short-changed. Appomattox could have been a much better experience, but the timing messed it up. Again, we needed time to explore on our own. We should not have had to choose whether to stay with the tour guide or wander on our own.

Not a highlight for me as we had done a lot of this on the first day. It did not seem to fit in very well with everything else. Seemed like filler prior to Arlington. Not sure what parts of this had to do with the Civil War.

I enjoyed this. I liked what our tour guide told us and appreciated the time at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard. I did not like the tour guide on the "special" bus as he talked was though he had to entertain small children. He should have been told this was a history group and change his tone. His information was fine, just that he delivered it as though he was on stage. Although we made a special stop for someone whose husband's ashes were interred, we got to see more of the cemetery this way and learned more about it. Probably not a good idea to do this and take everyone else along in the future as it can mess up the tour timing as it did on the Appomattox day.

Knew his stuff, but a bit conceited and I wondered if he was happy about being with us

I enjoyed his enthusiasm and knowledge. He tried to cover too much information, but I am not sure we can fault him for that. Perhaps he was asked to cover too much?

Too much detail, too much talking and standing. I just did not enjoy this stop.

She was knowledgeable and did a good job.

Good job, informative, answered questions well. I loved how he continued to repeat things so you could better understand the progression of the battles and why things happened the way they did.

He did a good job and really made you understand the problems that were unique to Petersburg. He made the history interesting.

He did okay on this day, but nothing spectacular.

Food was okay, not spectacular, but good. Too many box lunches and PLEASE, let's not eat on a moving bus. Some of us get car sick even without trying to juggle boxes with no tray tables. Best box lunch situation was the picnic stop. HAVE CHOICES for box lunches! Let people choose from turkey or ham, not just give them something. (I heard you have had bad luck with this, but we have been on a tour where we chose ahead several times in advance of stops and there was no trouble. You get what you pick based on description---how simple is that?) Worst thing was the biker bar---took 2 hours! Another bad situation was the barbecue dinner. The waitress never got around for drink orders and they knew we were coming with tickets for wine and beer. A bit too many buffets for my liking. Really enjoyed the dinner at Ebbett's Grill as it was plated service.

Debra was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but I think, at times, needed to be more mature. At times she seemed to "play favorites" with the people in the front of the bus and the rest of us wondered what the "fun and laughter" was about up there. This sometimes happened at meals also. I think Debra could have relayed even more information during bus rides, but maybe this will come as this tour gets repeated. Her going over the reasons for the war, etc. was really good and maybe more of this information can be shared throughout to prepare us for each day and so forth. Debra dealt with problems well and never seemed to lose her "cool." I realize her job is a tough one.

Bus had no trays and no place to put magazines, maps, etc. Watching movies was difficult if you were not near a screen, but the worst situation was you could not turn off the sound if you decided you did not want to watch. There should be individual sound controls.

Would love it if they could help with bags a bit more, but it was okay. The company is really quite helpful and is there when you need them.

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

A bit more variety at breakfast and lunch would have been nice. Not more selection, just a bit of a change daily.

Debra was great. She was on top of everyone's needs and anticipated everything ahead of time. Couldn't ask for better. Very pleasant and interesting.

James was pleasant, entertaining and very helpful. A skillful driver.

I didn't know what to expect prior to the tour. It was a pleasant experience and yes, I would recommend it to someone. Looking forward to information on the new tours coming in 2018/2019 involving the civil war.

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

Just a reminder that the trip was coming up and to refresh our memory about the itinerary

Food was not that great at the Hilton Garden Inn. Exiting the Hyatt was dangerous because of the incoming traffic!

While this was interesting, the whole DC agenda for the first day was too much . Starting the tour with a 2-mile walk in the heat (we know you couldn't control the weather) was a bit much. How about starting the tour with an evening dinner and introduction to the tour & then doing the mall walk and attractions the next day?

See above comments

Would like to have had more time here.

Could have done this on our own if we wished. would have allowed more time to do other options if this were not a prescribed activity

Local guide was excellent

This was most interesting, but we feel we were penalized on this phase of the tour. Having never been here before, we were especially looking forward to this stop.The special guests, while very nice folks, were granted a special stop and then took longer than the allotted time, thus reducing our time at Appomattox. Also, we spent way too much time at the restaurant & could have used that time at Appomattox as well.

practically non existent!

Very knowledgeable but also very self-important!

Excellent

See first comment

Great up until the Appomattox day. Needed to give an exact time to be back on the bus at the special stop. Too little time to eat lunch on the last day. Felt too rushed between Ford's Theater and Arlington. Maybe leave out the Civil War walk in DC.

Pockets where you can stick things in the back of the seats would be helpful

Enjoyed it generally speaking. Needs a little tweaking. If you want to tour all these places, it is nice to have it planned out in advance by someone else! Covers a lot of ground in the time allotted

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

Breakfast arrangements at Richmond were confusing for both tour members and restaurant staff.

Seeing the Mall and Memorial was great but could have been sacrificed in favor of more time at battlefields.

More time should have been allotted for this tour and the tour guide should have allowed for more "off the bus" time. To not have an opportunity to explore key areas like the Peach Orchard and The Angle is a travesty.

More time allotted to this stop would have been preferable as well.

The best tour guide of the entire tour was the ranger at Petersburg.

Needed more time.

I felt that this was really just the same as the first DC walking tour. Not much info was given on DC during the War. The tour-guide was very knowledgeable but tended to talk about himself too much.

Insisted on staying on the bus too much.

Best guide of the tour.

See first comment.

Dinners generally very good. Lunch typically good as well. Breakfast was pretty basic.

Debra did a great job leading the tour.

James and the motor coach were great.

I had a great time and look forward to doing more tours with BBOB. I would recommend this tour to others with similar interests.

Very patriotic and historically interesting. The displays and information booths were terrific.

Battle of the crater and Terence warfare was the highlight. Really good guide.

The White House of the Confederacy was very interesting.

The guide seemed more interested in talking about himself.

A little choppy but very informative

Stunning!

He seemed more interested in talking about himself. Arlington could not have been diminished even by Jim.

Dual exit doors would have made a big difference but Niki explained they basically don't exist there. Seatback pockets for storage and tray tables for lunch would have been huge. The driver's technique was concerning. On the gas, on the brake, on the gas, on the brake, tailgating. It appears the man across from us was getting motion sickness. On a positive, the driver was really good in tight spaces for sure.

Really good. I never give 5 stars on a question like this because I always think there is room for improvement. Plus, if you sold T-shirts I could go 4-3/4 stars!

Terrific. I would recommend your tour because you work so hard trying to improve. It shows.

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

Outstanding customer service. So nice to talk with.

Your ' My Trip Link ' was incredible. I have never experienced a company that included so much helpful information that prepared me for a trip. Getting to read about the other folks that were going on the tour was an awesome bonus.

Really enjoyed the warm welcome we received on our arrival to all of the hotels! Very clean and spacious rooms. I was so overjoyed that the hotels were so quiet.

They were both the most knowledgeable, polite, dear tour managers I have EVER had on any trip I have ever taken. They were always willing to answer any question, and, they always made sure myself, and all of the other folks on the tour, were enjoying themselves.

He always got us to our daily tour destinations on time ( 5 Stars ). The only comment to give him a 4 star rating was that he seemed to always hit the brake a little harder than needed, therefore, causing a jerk forward in our seats, and some things to fall on the coach floor.

Extraordinary!

Procom is the most professional company I have ever traveled with. You get exactly what you pay for. You really care that everyone on your tour will receive the best possible experience. You have impeccable planning, and all anyone needs to do is enjoy yourself, with all that the tour offers.

9-day American Civil War Tour - A Nation Tested review

Starting to sound like a broken record, but Niki and her team have always given me honest, straightforward answers to my questions.

Wish the Hyatt Arlington hotel had had a pool.

Needed more time to visit here.

So much to see. So much history. Loved the walk.

Would have preferred to walk the town as the story unfolded instead of sitting in the firehouse.

Seeing the setting for this battle was very interesting, but it was hard to keep up with all the attacks. Needed more visual aids.

Same comments as the Antietam National Battlefield.

I love Jennie's story in the midst of all the death and destruction.

This was fun. But I would have preferred to do something else.

The 360-degree painting was a really neat highlight of this stop.

To me the story of the battle for Little Round Top and the heroics of Chamberlain's men tells you about all you need to know about what happened at the Battle of Gettysburg.

This was interesting to see, but I would have preferred to see ground troops do battle. Really enjoyed what we heard and saw at the tent exhibits.

So, so.

Wow! The story of the crater and the building and use of the trenches was a highlight of this tour.

Another great stop. The part I enjoyed most was visiting the small cemetery at the top of the hill. Some very interesting stories.

Too much walking to see so little.

Six stars!! What can I say? I'm retired Air Force. Beautiful memorial.

This was interesting, but way too much walking.

Great meal stops. Especially liked the restaurant in Gettysburg.

Would have preferred a driver with some personality, but his job is to safely take us from point to point. And that he did.

Excellent. Love the company. Love the people. Hope to take many more tours with them.

I love the story of the American Civil War. Very hard to believe this was took place in the United States. Procom did an admirable job of painting a complete picture of the war. During the long bus rides I would have liked to hear more of the history leading up to the war. Starting with the creation of the Constitution.